David R. Gillingham (born October 20, 1947) is an American contemporary
composer, who is known for his works for
concert band and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
ensemble.
Biography
He attended the
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh for his undergraduate degree in Music Education, after which he went to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
where he served in the
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, playing in various army bands. After returning to America, he became a band teacher for a few years, before going to
Michigan State University for his PhD in Music Composition/Music Theory, after which he pursued a career as a composer while also serving as a university professor. In 1990, his concert band piece ''Heroes Lost and Fallen'', a piece about the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, won the International Barlow Composition Contest. He retired as professor of music theory and composition at
Central Michigan University in 2016.
Selected works
Some of his recent works which have become very popular in the concert band and percussion repertoire include:
*''Paschal Dances'' (1988)
*''Heroes Lost and Fallen'' (1990)
*''Serenade for Winds and Percussion'' (1990)
*''Stained Glass'' (1992)
*''Sacrificial Rite'' (1993)
*''Apocalyptic Dreams'' (1995)
*''Prophecy of the Earth'' (1995)
*''Waking Angels'' (1996)
*''Concertino for Four Percussion and Wind Ensemble'' (1997)
*''A Light Unto the Darkness'' (1997)
*''Quintessence I'' (1997)
*''Galactic Empires'' (1998)
*''Internal Combustion (1999)
*''When Speaks the Signal-trumpet Tone'' (1999)
*''Be Thou My Vision'' (1999)
*''Concerto for Percussion Ensemble'' (1999)
*''With Heart and Voice'' (2000)
*''Cantus Laetus'' (2000)
*''Council Oak'' (2001)
*''Concerto for Piano and Percussion Ensemble'' (2002)
*''The Echo Never Fades'' (2003)
*''Concerto for Piano, Percussion and Wind Orchestra'' (2004)
*''Supercell'' (2005)
*''No Shadow of Turning'' (2005)
*''Quintessence II'' (2006)
*''Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble'' (2006)
*''Concerto for Viola, Cello and Orchestra'' (2007)
*''Symphony No. 2 "Genesis"'' (2008)
*''Angels of the Apocalypse'' (2010)
References
External links
David Gillingham official website
1947 births
Living people
20th-century classical composers
American male classical composers
American classical composers
Concert band composers
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni
Michigan State University alumni
Central Michigan University alumni
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians
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